Sleep hygiene: top tips for a deep and restful sleep

Tips for getting a restful night’s sleep

Most of us would probably admit to not getting the recommended eight hours of sleep each night. There can be all sorts of reasons why we miss out on those additional hours kip, be it catching up on the latest TV drama, stressing about work or just generally leading busy lives.

Brits can be notoriously bad for maintaining a regular sleep pattern. However, there are a few simple tricks we can implement into our daily routine to make nodding off at night that little bit easier.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, ‘sleep hygiene’ is the practice of good habits that are necessary to ensure great quality sleep, as well as full alertness during the day.

In order to make sure we’re doing all we can to improve our sleep, Silentnight’s resident sleep expert, Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, has shared her advice for ensuring your sleep hygiene is in tip-top condition.

• Power napping

Dr Nerina said: “Power napping is a fine art, but it’s one that you can easily learn and incorporate into your day, as 10 to 20 minutes is all you need to feel the real benefits.

“However, try selecting a period between 2pm and 4pm, as leaving it any later is likely to affect your sleep that night.”

Dr Nerina believes that after a few days of power napping, you’ll begin to have more restful thoughts, which will allow your body to slip into that much-needed power nap.

• Reduce stimulants

Caffeine has a direct impact on reducing sleep quality, as it has a half-life of approximately five hours. This means that after drinking a cup of coffee, or any other caffeinated drink, it can take up to ten hours for all of the caffeine to completely leave your system.

Dr Nerina said: “Consider replacing your afternoon coffee with herbal tea or decaffeinated variants of tea and coffee, particularly if you find that you wake up feeling unrefreshed and sluggish despite having slept for eight or more hours.”

• The most important meal of the day

We hear it all the time, but it’s true; breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day. Having something to eat not only sets you up for the day ahead, but it regulates your melatonin production, to ensure a better night’s sleep.

If you haven’t already, Dr Nerina recommends trying eight almonds and two dates for breakfast. She said: “This helps kick start the metabolism, halt adrenaline production and produce melatonin for a deep and restful sleep.”

Will you be trying these tricks to get your sleep hygiene back on track? Let us know on our social media pages.